April is a teaser. Let me say it once more, to feel better. A real one. A month when we think that we are safe to believe that we have officially entered a new season, encouraging us to take all the steps going in that direction — swap wardrobe as one, plant flowers and seeds as two, clean the windows as three — until we are proven the opposite. Looking outside my window, I can hear this morning’s ice pellets turn into heavy rain. It is uncomfortably wet and cold outside.

After three weeks spent wearing skirts and shorts, feeling the warm summer breeze on my barren light legs, I find it cruel to think that Spring is just too shy to permanently settle in. One day I think it has arrived and I fret, all excited, but the next day it withdraws, taking us to square one, with weather factors like cold, wind, rain or even snow. I usually like cold, rain and snow. Yes I do. But not in Spring. Wrong season. In Winter.

The excitement of the new season, however, is not necessarily only tied to my eagerness to keep my shorts and skirts out but in fact, to find and cook wonderfully tempting Spring Vegetables and Fruit. I cannot wait, really. So much so that I have decided that, even if not yet largely available in stores locally — or certainly not where I live — I would use des petits pois, green peas, into a Pea Spring Soup. Because Green is a color I love, reminding me of trees, fields, freshness, le bonheur est dans le pré (happiness in the countryside), every one of which making me happy.

In this simple recipe, I have combined fennel, celery branch, potato, shallot, garlic with chicken stock which are gently simmered until all the vegetables are tender. The addition of the lightly whipped cream flavored with horseradish is a must, and the mint a refreshing touch to the end result.

Now, I will ask you, do you think that this will be a good reason for Spring to stay with us? If we say please?

Sounds fabulous. I love the addition of horseradish. I made a salad last week with frisee and radish sprouts, fennel sprouts and pea shoots. Talk about the embodiment of spring. It’s snowing here, by the way. 🙁

This looks beautiful – it would work on me if I was spring! I hope it does work (I’m dying to get my summer wardrobe out) but at least there is the horseradish to give us a warm glow if the plans fails!

What an unusual combination — fennel, horseradish, mint! The color is absolutely seductive and, even though it’s snowing a bit right now, just looking at this soup makes me feel like spring is imminent.

There is nothing like spring green! This soup looks very much spring…you’d think it would keep spring from doing that cold and sleet thing, especially with please.
The ingredients in your soup seem perfect together!

I’m sorry to hear that the weather is bad, however, in Ontario it’s snowing right now. A lot. I prefer the rain over snow, but the universe isn’t bending to my wishes. The soup looks great and very Spring-y.

Ha! Just spoke to my mom in RI who said they are expecting snow next week! At least your soup sings spring! Peas and mint are perfect together, and the addition of fennel is lovely. I can’t wait to try this one.

I love your saying of cold in “wrong season”. But everytime when I see new bulbs on the tree right by my window, I’ll smile again… well, I have a heater under my feet, haha!
Food in green all the way, always seize my heart, esp yours 😀

How I need some green. But imagine that the truck delivering asparagus to our local grocer’s had an accident and he will have no asparagus or fresh green veggies for Easter! I’ll have to make a trip into town…

Béatrice Peltre is a food writer, stylist and photographer working out of her home studio in Boston.
She is a regular contributor to the Boston Globe Food Section, and her work has appeared in many publications
such as Saveur, Food and Wine, Whole Living, Fine Cooking, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, the Huffington Post,
the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, Edible Boston, Living France, the New York Times Diner’s Journal,
and in many other international magazines.